Chapter 8: Where the Sun goes Down

"You must finish quickly," the owner said, his kind face suddenly turning pale. He began checking the locks on the heavy front doors. "I want to help you, but if you stay here, my hotel will become a graveyard. Sora’s Master—Yami—is already on his way. He can smell the blood of his fallen men from miles away."

The name "Yami" felt like a heavy weight pressing down on the students. Daichi stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He looked at the teacher, who was still weak, and then at his terrified friends.

"We just got here," Daichi said, his voice cracking with desperation. "We can't just run back into the woods! Where are we supposed to go?"

Rei, who had been eating in silence, stood up and wiped his mouth. He didn't look anxious. He looked like a machine calculating its next move.

"We don't have time to debate," Rei said. His cold voice silenced the room. "If Yami is as dangerous as Sora says, this hotel isn't a sanctuary—it's a trap. We need to move now."

He looked at the owner. "Give us whatever food you can spare. High-energy, portable. And the directions Sora mentioned—where do they lead?"

The owner nodded quickly, hurrying into the kitchen. He returned with several bags of dried meat, bread, and strange, glowing blue fruits. He also handed Daichi a piece of old parchment.

"This map leads to the Abyssal Bridge," the owner whispered. "It is the only way to reach the deeper part of the island where the Gate is hidden. But be warned: the bridge is not made of stone. It is made of the 'Sin of Fear.' If your heart wavers, the bridge will vanish."

As they packed the food, the owner pulled Rei aside. He looked at the boy's cracked watch and his steady hands. "You are different from the others," the old man whispered. "You have already killed, haven't you? That is why the magic of this island is watching you. Most people use Wrath, but you... you have the potential for Void."

Rei didn't answer. He just took the bag of food and walked toward the bus. He didn't care about "Void" or magic. He only cared about the schedule of their survival.

"Everyone, get on the bus!" Daichi shouted, regaining his composure. "Hana, help the teacher. Hiro, get Sora. We’re leaving in sixty seconds!"

They ran back to the hidden bus, the gold orange light of the sky now turning a sickly, bruised purple. As the engine started, Rei looked back at the hotel. He saw the owner standing in the doorway, waving a final goodbye.

The bus was already gone.

Back at the hotel, he had a new group of guests. These were normal people. There were five of them. They looked very tired. They wore office clothes and carried small bags with them.

"Welcome to the hotel," the owner said. He had a fake smile on his face. "Food is ready. But you must pay."

The strangers gave him their watches and rings. They sat at the same table where Rei had sat. They were very hungry. They finished the soup quickly.

One man said. "There must be a way back to Japan. This island is just a mistake."

"Yes," a woman added. "Once we find a boat, we can go home. My family is waiting."

The room became very cold. The jasmine smell was gone. Now, the room smelled like a grave.

CRASH!

The front door exploded. Pieces of wood flew across the room like knives. The strangers screamed and fell to the floor.

A tall figure stepped through the smoke. It was Yami. He wore a long black coat. His skin was like white bone. His eyes were not red like the gang members. His eyes were pure, solid black.

The black smoke around him was the Sin of Pride. It was thick and heavy.

"M-Master Yami!" the owner shrieked. He fell to his knees.

Yami did not look at the owner. He looked at the empty chair where Rei had been sitting. He touched the table. He could still feel the cold energy Rei had left behind.

"The boy with the bat," Yami said. His voice was deep and scary. "He is moving toward the Bridge."

Yami turned his black eyes toward the five strangers. They were shaking under the table. They looked at him with terror.

"Japan is far away," Yami told them. "You are not going home."

He raised his hand. Black smoke crawled across the floor like snakes. It wrapped around the legs of the strangers. They tried to run, but they could not move.

"Please!" the woman cried. "We just want to go home!"

Yami stood over the woman. The black smoke from his hands touched her face. She was crying. The other four strangers were shaking on the floor.

"Please," the woman begged. "We gave everything to the owner. We have nothing left. Just let us go."

The owner scrambled forward. He held out the silver watches and rings the strangers had given him. His hands were shaking.

"Master Yami! Here!" the owner shouted. "Take these! Their lives are for you. I took their payments for your glory!"

Yami looked at the pile of jewelry and money. He kicked it aside. The gold hit the wall with a dull sound. He did not care about money. He was the Master of Sins. He did not need silver to buy things on this island.

Yami leaned down and looked into the eyes of the strangers. He was searching for something. He was looking for a spark of light. He was looking for the heat of magic.

He touched the man’s chest. He felt nothing. No fire. No ice. No power.

"Disappointing," Yami whispered.

His voice sounded like a cold wind. He looked at the five people. They were just normal humans. They were weak. They had no "Sins" to steal. They had no magic to fight back with.

"I do not want your money," Yami said. "And I do not want your lives. You are like dust. Killing you gives me no satisfaction."

The strangers looked at each other. They felt a tiny bit of hope. Maybe he would let them go?

But Yami’s eyes turned even darker. He wanted a real hunt. He wanted someone strong. He thought about the boy on the bus. He thought about Rei. Rei had killed King. Rei had a soul that was cold and sharp. That was a prize worth taking.

Yami turned his back on the strangers. He looked at the owner.

"They are worthless," Yami said.

Yami stood in the center of the lobby. He looked at the five strangers. They were crying and begging for their lives. Yami did not feel pity. He only felt bored.

He raised his hand to the sky. The black smoke around him began to spin. Suddenly, the smoke turned into a solid, jagged magical sword. The blade was as dark as a starless night.

"Please!" the woman screamed.

Yami moved like a flash of lightning.

SLASH.

He swung the black sword in a wide circle. The blade cut through the air and through the people. He slashed them like they were made of paper. He did not stop. He moved from one person to the next, his blade clicking against the floor.

Blood splashed onto the walls. It covered the jasmine-scented tables. In seconds, the five strangers were gone. They were just silent bodies on the floor.

The owner of the hotel stood in the corner. His face was white. He was shaking so hard he could not speak.

"M-Master..." the owner whispered. "I... I gave you their things. I am loyal."

Yami turned his black eyes toward the owner. He wiped a drop of blood off his cheek with his pale finger.

"You let the boy escape," Yami said. His voice was like a cold wind from a grave. "You gave them food. You gave them a map. You helped the enemies of the Master."

"I was scared!" the owner shrieked. "They had weapons!"

"Then you should have died fighting them," Yami replied.

Yami raised his dark sword one more time. The owner tried to run, but the black smoke wrapped around his ankles. He fell to the floor, reaching for the door.

CRUNCH.

Yami drove the sword straight through the owner’s back. The man let out one last gasp and went still.

The hotel was now a house of death. There was no more jasmine smell. There was only the smell of blood.